Recipe: Thomas Keller's puree of garlic potatoes

Thomas Keller's puree of garlic potatoes from his ad hoc at home cookbook (p.223) is now my go to recipe for making mashed potatoes.  It's really amazing how his recipes elevate the most basic everyday foods.  Even the names of his recipes sound fancy.  I mean, this is mashed potatoes, but he calls the dish "puree of garlic potatoes."

My changes/shortcuts for this recipe:

• Made half the recipe which is about 4 servings.
• Used a potato ricer instead of a food mill.
• Instead of making the garlic confit (p.266) which takes 40 minutes, I minced 2 large garlic cloves and then cooked them in a couple of tablespoons of canola oil (and made sure not to overbrown or burn the garlic).

We will definitely be serving this at dinner parties at our house.

Recipe: Thomas Keller's endive and arugula salad with peaches and marcona almonds

We cooked a couple of recipes out of Thomas Keller's ad hoc at home cookbook the other day.  The endive and arugula salad with peaches and marcona almonds (p. 140) sounded like a lovely summertime salad, and it was.  It just took a little bit of time because I had to make the peach puree (p.249) first.  However, here are some shortcuts and things we changed:

the peach puree

• I used ONE peach to make about a 1/4 cup of puree.
• Even though the peaches I bought weren't perfectly ripe, I peeled them with a paring knife and skipped the first step of putting them in boiling water and then an ice bath to cool.
• I also didn't strain the puree through a fine-mesh basket strainer because I'm fine with a chunky dressing (and it wasn't even that chunky, just thick).
• I have a candy thermometer and could've made sure that the puree reached 215-220 degrees F, but I didn't.

the salad

• Because endive gets pricey, we used a baby spring mix that didn't have arugula.  I think the arugula would've added a nice touch and extra dimension to the salad, so I'll add that next time as called for by the recipe.

A note on the recipe says that in the fall, pears can be substituted for the peaches in both the puree and salad.  I love pears and so will definitely be trying that out!

Recipe: Thomas Keller's ad hoc chicken pot pie

This evening's pot pie (1/2/12)

 

UPDATED 1-2-13

Original Post on 3/3/12
Success!!!  This evening, I made Thomas Keller's recipe for chicken potpie (he doesn't capitalize the name of his recipes in his ad hoc at home cookbook, and he has "potpie" as one word), and the 2 hours of cooking was totally worth it.  If you like chicken pot pie, you MUST try this recipe.  It's the best chicken pot pie I've ever had.  The crust (which is perfectly flaky and buttery) and the bechamel sauce make the dish.

Notes:

• I didn't have any shredded chicken on hand and so cut up 2 chicken breasts and sauteed them.
• Blog contributor 'the woman who ate everything' gave me a tip to add frozen peas to the dish which was a wonderful idea. 
• Cooking each vegetable separately was a pain. 
• UPDATE:  Cook all of the vegetables in the same pot.  Start with the potatoes, carrots and onions and simmer for about 8 minutes.  Then add the celery and peas, and cook for 2 minutes.
• UPDATE:  Put 4 bay leaves, 4 thyme sprigs and about 32 peppercorns in a cheesecloth sachet so it's easy to discard.
• I didn't need to move the dish to the middle rack to finish baking it (per the recipe).
• UPDATE:  The full 50 minutes may not be needed for baking.  This evening, it was done in 40 minutes.
• If you're making this on your own (without any help) for the first time, allot 3 hours (1 1/2 - 2 hours for prep and an hour for baking).  This is a recipe where it'd be nice to have a helper.

If you want to try this recipe and don't have Keller's cookbook, I found the recipe on another blogger's site:
http://www.friendsfoodfamily.com/friends-food-family/2011/02/thomas-kellers-chicken-pot-pie.html

The Confessions of Chef Thomas Keller

This 5 minute video has a short interview with Thomas Keller.  He primarily talks about how his famous restaurants, The French Laundry and Per Se, have survived the recessions (a meal for 2 at Per Se runs approximately $1000), but you'll also learn what his favorite junk food is.
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/88876872/

This 2 minute video is a look into NYC's "Most Coveted Kitchen:"
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/88855244/

Recipe: Thomas Keller's ad hoc meatballs with pappardelle

Last night, we spent 3 hours cooking the meatballs with pappardelle recipe from Thomas Keller's ad hoc at home book.  We followed the recipe exactly and were, well, disappointed.  It was ok, but certainly didn't justify the amount of time it took to make it.  The sauce called for leeks and fennel which we thought would lend itself to a unique sauce, but in the end, it was flat.  The meatballs also needed more oomph.  I would've been disappointed had I paid an Ad Hoc price for this dish. 

The grandcruman (blog contributor) agrees.

Top 5 restaurants I want to visit

I didn't know a whole lot about David Chang until I saw this article today.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/30/david-chang-ramen_n_1121454.html


It made me think about the restaurants I want to dine at during the next 5 years.  Here are mine:

1. Thomas Keller's The French Laundry - Yountville
2. David Chang's Momofuku Noodle Bar (and Milk Bar and Ko) -- it could be a Momofuku day in NYC
3. Grant Achatz's Alinea - Chicago
4. Eric Ripert's Le Bernadin - NYC
5. Thomas Keller's Per Se - NYC

And if we can swing it to Copenhagen, then Rene Redzepi's Noma.

Who wants to join?  What restaurants are on your list?

Oooh. . . thinking about Momofuku Milk Bar made me think of their Compost Cookies.  I should make some of those this weekend!  Will post the recipe.

Le Poulet du Ad Hoc . . . and Snickers Cake

This evening, we made our first recipe out of Thomas Keller's ad hoc at home cookbook -- and it was amazing!!!

A note 'To the Woman Who Ate Everything' blog contributor:  You were absolutely right.  The Whole Roasted Chicken on a Bed of Root Vegetables recipe was easy and absolutely delicious.  There is no reason for us to buy rotisserie chicken ever again!  Next on my list is the ad hoc chicken potpie recipe that you've been talking about for at least a year.

I have to admit that I was a bit wary about making the recipe, not having roasted a chicken before and thinking it might be dry, but no, it was JUICY, and the roast vegetables were fabulous.  We had the chicken & vegetables along with mac & cheese a la the America's Test Kitchen classic recipe.

For dessert, it was Snickers Cake which took literally 3 hours to make (I started the cake yesterday).  I would make the cake part of the recipe again, but not the buttercream -- like one of the reviewers on epicurious noted, it was TOO buttery.  I added 6 more oz of chocolate just to tone down the buttery texture and flavor.  I mean, I love butter, but this buttercream frosting just wasn't as great as other buttercream frostings I've had (plus, it took a long time to make).
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Snickers-Cake-2750

Whole Roasted Chicken on a Bed of Root Vegetables

Snickers Cake

$1,250 Lunch for Two in London: Welcome to the French Laundry

The French Laundry at Harrods, which opened on Saturday and lasts just 10 days, might politely be described as a phenomenon. Hundreds are on the waiting list each day at this pop-up restaurant, the managers say, undeterred by a price tag of $387 per person, plus service and wine.

http://frenchlaundry.harrods.com/

Here's the article about what we're missing out on:

$1,250 Lunch for Two in London: Welcome to the French Laundry

By Richard Vines

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg)

The French Laundry at Harrods, which opened on Saturday and lasts just 10 days, might politely be described as a phenomenon.

Hundreds are on the waiting list each day at this pop-up restaurant, the managers say, undeterred by a price tag of 250 pounds ($387) per person, plus service and wine. Throw in a generous serving of matching wines and your lunch bill for two may reach 805 pounds -- or $1,250 -- as mine did.

What do you get for your money? Ten courses of exquisite food prepared by Thomas Keller, one of the world’s most respected chefs. He’s brought over about 15 members of his team from the French Laundry, in Yountville, California. If you’re familiar with his U.S. restaurants, you may spot staffers from Per Se, in New York, and from the various Bouchon outlets.

Harrods has constructed a special dining room on the fourth floor, with a version of the facade of the French Laundry. Diners eat from tableware that has also made the trip from the U.S., as have many of the ingredients. A booklet distributed to customers lists the suppliers, from Sterling Caviar of Sacramento, California, to the Chef’s Garden, of Huron, Ohio.

It feels as though no expense has been spared, as you might expect at these prices. The restaurant conducted three practice services -- for friends and family, chefs and journalists -- before opening to the public on Oct. 1. I attended one of these meals on the night before the opening (for which diners weren’t charged) and lunch on the first day, for which I paid.

Hartnett, Perry-Lang

(I went along for the latter meal with chef Angela Hartnett and was impressed both with the dishes Keller sent out for her to try and with the fact he varied my menu so I wouldn’t eat all the same things twice. I went to the preview with Adam Perry Lang, who is Jamie Oliver’s partner at Barbecoa. Both chefs commented repeatedly on the quality of the cooking.)

The service was immaculate from start to finish, as if the French Laundry at Harrods had been running for years, the food brilliant. Keller, 55, was there in the kitchen, checking every dish -- I went in to take a look -- and only emerged into the dining room when everyone had been served.

The menu features several classic Keller concoctions, my favorite of which is Oysters and Pearls: a sabayon of pearl tapioca with oyster juice is served with Maldon oysters and Sterling White Sturgeon caviar. It’s creamy and smoky and rich.

The menu alternates between indulgent treats and lighter dishes, such as the salad of Hawaiian hearts of peach palm, which contains Medjool date, young coconut, French Laundry garden carrots, red radish, and candied pili nuts.

Miniature Perfection

While this might not sound light -- it even contains a hint of Madras curry -- the radish is the smallest I have ever seen, about the size of a baby’s fingernail, the carrot is shaved as thin as an ungenerous chef’s white truffle. The elements are tiny, the whole harmonious as a barbershop quartet. It’s perfection in miniature: bonsai gastronomy.

Other standouts include Poularde en Brioche, with Moulard duck foie gras, warm Sauternes jelly, Tokyo turnips, green apples and Perigord truffle coulis. A few of the courses play on classic dishes, such as chowder (with Sacramento River sturgeon, razor clams and sweet corn) and a peanut-butter dessert.

The dishes are imaginative without being pretentious and amusing without being silly. Their beauty is striking and the cooking of every element is faultless. Only a couple of ingredients detract from the perfection of the whole: the Maine lobster is an advertisement for the flavor of its Scottish cousin and the beauty of the beef (with black trumpet mushrooms, pumpkin and fennel) was mainly in the seasoning.

Michelin Stars

Keller is an outstanding and original chef who deserves all seven of the Michelin stars he holds, including three for the French Laundry, which won the World’s Best Restaurant title in 2003 and 2004. The pop-up is a triumph for him and for Harrods.

It’s an event that will be talked about in the culinary world for years to come. Eating there is like getting a ticket for the 100 Meters in the Olympic Games. (You can pay 725 pounds for that final in London.)

In that sense, dining there isn’t about the cost, and if you want to go and can afford it and can get a reservation, you should go. But it is a pop-up and it just whetted my appetite for a first visit to the mothership in California.

French Laundry at Harrods, 4th Floor, 87-135 Brompton Road Knightsbridge, Greater London SW1X 7XL. Harrods store inquiries: +44-20-7730-1234, http://www.harrods.com/.

The Bloomberg Questions

- Cost? 250 pounds.

- Sound level? Hushed, 65 decibels.

- Inside tip? Take your bank manager.

- Special feature? It’s the French Laundry.

- Will I be back? Sadly no.

- Date place? It’s a place to propose.

- Rating? ***1/2.

Sound-Level Chart (in decibels): 65-70: Office noise. 70- 75: Starbucks. 75-80: London street. 80-85: Alarm clock at closest range. 85-90: Passing bus. 85-95: Tube train.

(Richard Vines is the chief food critic for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. He is U.K. and Ireland chairman of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards. Opinions expressed are his own.)

--Editors: Mark Beech, Jim Ruane.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-10-03/-1-250-lunch-for-two-in-london-welcome-to-the-french-laundry.html